Bad Past, Good Memories
by justpixie
Summary: Tina didn't know what to think of these girls. if they had been at her old school she would have hid in the bathroom every time they walked by, but now as she found herself thrown into this situation it seemed as though she would simply join them.
1. Chapter 1

"They'll kill us!" Kurt protested.

"Now guys, don't you think you're over reacting just a little bit?" Mr. Shuester sighed and put his fist under his chin to lean on. Ever since he had announced a visit to their competitors at the Girl's Reform School the group had been convinced that harm would come to them at the hands of their competition.

"On the contrary Sir, I think we are reacting very justly when it comes to this particular situation, our competitors are at a reform school, thus meaning they have something to reform for. They are not good kids," Rachel said coming to Kurt's defense.

Tina shifted uncomfortably in her chair, she was even more quiet than usual, meaning she was completely silent. The goth girl was fiddling with the hem of her shirt and trying to think of some way to get out of this trip. She could in no way travel there with her glee friends, she was already the overly-quiet, overly-shy, stutter faking goth. She didn't want them to have anything else to judge her on.

--

The only way most people at her first school would have described the thirteen year old girl would be something along the lines of: nice, or quiet, or shy, or the little one with the stutter, or who's that? That's all little Tina Cohen-Chang was to her former class mates, a nice, quiet, stuttering girl. That's why everyone was surprised when she was the one found guilty of defacing the statue of the founder on her private school. She had spray-painted several cuss words over the cold marble, but it was all for a dare. Some kids in her class had dared her to deface the property, and after she politely refused they teased her about it until she cried. Then when she was done crying, she went back that night with her can on blue spray paint and completed the dare.

After being discovered as the assailant, her principal met with the shaky stutterer and her parents. He offered them the deal that she would serve a months detention, and have cafeteria duty for the following three months, a light punishment at her school, but seeing as it was her first act of rebellion since she began there at the tender age of five, it seemed fair. Her parents, however, weren't satisfied. Bring harsher on her than the principle and not wanting her to continue down this "dark path" they decided she needed something more extreme. When they found the local military school was filled, they decided that they would have to send their little girl the The Jane Adams Girls Reform School.

--

"No. Trust us, you'll look awesome."

"I-I-I d-don't know g-guys," Tina watched as her new roommates pulled various pieces of make-up out of their purses and laid it on the surprising soft twin bed which also held a small girl who was folded up with her knees against her chest, making her look even smaller.

"Yeah, you'll look hot!" Another girl named Evie said as she threw her hair back with a laugh.

Tina didn't know what to think of these girls. if they had been at her old school she would have hid in the bathroom every time they walked by, but now as she found herself thrown into this situation it seemed as though she would simply join them.


	2. Chapter 2

The van looked almost like a spaceship. Tina was used to it after many rides home on many late nights. Artie's father was singing along zealously to the old-school country music which was wailing out of the speakers at the front of the van. Tina glanced around at the five other glee clubbers who were also sitting in the spacious van. Except for Artie and herself, they looked uncomfortable as they glanced around at the special mechanics.

Being unable to afford a bus for this trip and sectionals New Directions took two vans to the Jane Adams Girls Reform School. One of the vans belonged to Rachel Berry's family, the other to Artie's. Rachel's van was about five minutes ahead of them on the road, her van contained Finn, Quinn, Puck, Santana, Mike, Matt, and Rachel driving. Artie's father was driving Artie, Tina, Mercedes, Kurt, and Brittany. Tina was sitting in the middle row of the van across from Artie. He mouthed the words of his father's music towards her, making a big show of it. Tina was having a hard time controlling her laughter but in the back of her mind she was still thinking about what would happen when they pulled up to her former school.

--

Tina gawked at her reflection in the mirror, what in the hell had they done to her?

"Oh . . . m-m-my . . ." she felt like she looked completely different. She watched her reflection in the mirror, she wore a black mini-skirt, shorter than anything her parents had ever even let her pick up in a clothing store. Under her skirt she had black tights, on her upper half she had a green shirt with black sleeves. Her face was covered with make-up. Black eye-liner winger out from her eyes and her eye-brows had been plucked to the point where she forgot they had ever been bushy and uncontrolled. Her hair still remained a mystery, it was wrapped in a beige towel piled on top of her head. She had some idea what to expect of it though, they had done something to it under the sink and dried it. The three girls who surrounded her, Evie, Tash, and Jana, had smiles of their faces and Jana reached forward and whipped the towel off her head.

Tina didn't know what to say, her mouth had seemingly forgotten how to close, a blur of blue obstructed her vision out of one eye. There was a blue streak where her simple black bangs had been just an hour before.

"So," Tash said excitedly grabbing Tina by the shoulders, "do you like it or do you like it?"

Tina's mouth continued to hang open, then she had a thought and it slowly shifted into a small smile.

"I love it."

--

The van rolled up next to Rachel's and the glee kids all stumbled out, stretching their legs after the hour and fifteen minute drive. Artie's Dad detached him from the chair lift and he rolled towards Tina as she pressed her hands on to her knees stretching her legs greatly.

Maybe just maybe, if she were lucky, her old friends wouldn't recognize her. She had purposefully worn a grey sweater, her lightest pair of jeans, and put a slouchy hat on over her hair hoping not to be recognized.

"Yep, sure does feel great to stretch the old legs huh?" Artie said. Tina nodded for as moment then looked at him realizing what he had just said and burst out laughing. She was glad that she and Artie were comfortable around each other again, she moved behind him and took a deep sigh as she pushed him through the large doors leading to the school.

The hallways looked exactly the same as the had when she spent her year in this place. It was evening time just before dinner so all the girls were probably in their dorm rooms, changing out of their uniforms and into their evening casual clothes. The members of New Directions headed toward the main office. The twelve kids, plus Mr. S who had arrived in his own vehicle, piled into the office which had ample seating area for kids who were sent to see the head mistress for some sort of delinquency or another. The students sat and waiting for their escort.

When Tina saw the old church choir director come around the corner her head dropped. When she had gone to school here there had been a solemn choir which sang church songs and wore blue and white robes, she had learned through some e-mails from her old friends that they had protested and finally gotten a more creative glee club.

"Please don't recognize me, please don't recognize me," Tina whispered to herself. She was lucky when the club director simply ushered them out into the hallway and walked ahead of the kids talking to Mr. Shu while the kids shuffled along beside them.

They walked through the gym doors, the school didn't have an auditorium, so clubs practised in the gym. That's when Tina saw the three of them standing there, Evie, Tash, and Jana. They looked mostly similar to when she had last seen them over the summer when they came into Lima to visit her. They looked a lot like less-Asian versions of herself. She kept her head down as she pushed Artie's wheelchair a little bit faster past them.

Tina glanced up long enough to see the three girls whisper and point towards the kids and then Evie took a small step forward.

"T.C.! Holy shit, is that you!?," her old nickname rang in her ears. She wanted badly to run over to the girls and hug them and whisper loudly about who was cool in her new group of friends and who wasn't. However, she had to ignore them in hopes that no one she was with had heard that. She didn't have to worry about them hearing it, because the three girls ran up and hugged her. Tina looked up a saw the shocked faces of her classmates.

"Tee?" Artie said as he leaned his head to the side.

"See, the thing is guys . . ." Tina blushed with her words.


End file.
